Amendment status not verified — confirm the current text below against the official source.
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) "abettor or identifier" means any person who identifies, calls, stigmatizes, defames or accuses any other person as witch or instigates, aids or abets such an act, by words, or by signs or indications or by conducts, aids in instigating any other person or does anything which tend to cause any person any harm or causes anything which gives reasonable apprehension of stigmatization in the mind of such person so identified, called, stigmatised, defamed or accused that there may be harm caused to him/her, or that his/her dignity or public estimation is damaged or likely to be damaged; 2 (b) “code means” the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; (c) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; (d) "Special Court" means a Court not below the rank of an Additional Session Judge as may be designated by the State Government by notification in the Official Gazette exercising jurisdiction in the area where the offences under this Act alleged to have taken place; (e) "State Government" means the State Government of Assam; (f) "victim" means and includes any person who has been harmed, injured, made to suffer, either physically or mentally, or singled out by cruel and unjust treatment or killed or executed as a result of witch hunting; (g) "witch" means any person who has been supposedly identified, called, stigmatized, defamed or accused as Daini, Daina, Dakini, Dakan, Bhoot, Bhootuni, or any other such name by person or persons under the grip of unrealistic and unfounded impression that such person has the power to harm anyone or society at large, in any manner; (h) "witch hunting" means the identifying, calling, stigmatising, defaming or accusing any person as witch by any other person by words, or by signs or by indications or conducts or actions or in any manner, thereby causing or abetting physical and/ or mental harm or execution of a witch which may involve mass hysteria, lynching or any other activities; (i) words and expressions used but not defined in this Act and defined in the Code or the Indian Penal Code, 1860 shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them thereunder. Central Act 2 of 1974 Central Act 45 of 1860 Prohibition of witch hunting.